RADIO
Whether you're looking to continue your hot-streak from yesterday’s fantasy football opener or start over after a tough Week One, there are plenty of great picks on this Monday in fantasy baseball to get your workweek off to a good start. Major League Baseball has 11 games on tap tonight as we head into the last three weeks of the regular season.
Make sure to stay locked into RotoBaller for the rest of the fantasy baseball season and throughout the NFL season, as well. Each Monday, you can catch my daily league picks here or check me out over at sportsreelboston.com for fantasy football and baseball daily coverage all week long.
MLB Daily League Lineup Picks for September 9, 2013
Here are some of my favorite picks for each position today. I’ve tried to vary the teams represented and price ranges so you can pick your favorites to put in your lineup.
Starting Pitcher
Yu Darvish (TEX): Darvish struggled his last time out against Oakland, who has had his number all season. Tonight, he’ll face the Pittsburgh Pirates at home in Arlington where he’s 7-4 with a 2.82 ERA. It’s always hard to face an ace for the first time in interleague play, so I expect a bounce-back dominant performance from Darvish tonight.
Max Scherzer (DET): Scherzer goes for win number 20 for the third time after coming up short against Oakland and Boston his last two times out. He’ll be in a tough matchup tonight in Chicago against Chris Sale and the White Sox. It’s his fourth start of the year against Chicago, and he’s dominated them so far. He’s 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just 11 hits allowed in 21.2 innings. He’s held the Sox to just a .151 average and is a top-price, top-shelf option for tonight.
Kris Medlen (ATL): Medlen has gone seven innings in each of his last two starts, allowing a total of one run on 13 hits with 15 stirkeouts and no walks. He faces the Marlins tonight for the third time this season. So far, he’s 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA allowing just three earned runs in 13 innings and holding the Fish to a .250 batting average.
Ricky Nolasco (LAD): Nolasco has been dominant lately, winning six of his last seven starts and improving his record to 12-9 on the year. In each of his last six starts, he’s allowed two earned runs or fewer, and he's racked up 34 strikeouts against just six walks. He’s taking on the visiting Diamondbacks tonight in his new home-- the pitcher-friendly confines of Dodger Stadium.
Catcher
Wilin Rosario (COL): Rosario hasn’t played the last two days, but there isn’t any news of an injury. He should be back in there tonight against Tim Lincecum, whom he is 6-16 with two doubles and two homers against in his career. Hopefully, he’s back in the lineup tonight, and if he is, he’s a strong option as your fantasy backstop.
Salvador Perez (KC): Perez is much cheaper than Rosario in most formats and is in a nice matchup tonight against the Indians and Ubaldo Jimenez. Perez has six RBI in his last five games with a pair of homers and a double. He didn’t play yesterday, so expect him to be back behind the plate tonight.
First Basemen
Freddie Freeman (ATL): Freeman and the Braves are facing Miami and Henderson Alvarez, whom Freeman is 4-7 with a pair of doubles and a homer against in his career. He had hit in five straight before going 0-4 yesterday going 7-21 with two homers and a double in that five-game span.
Victor Martinez (DET): Martinez hit .386 but has slowed down a bit in the early going this month, hitting just .200. He’s 9-16 career versus Chris Sale, and I think he’ll contribute tonight.
Josh Satin (NYM): Satin has gone 8-26 in his last six games and is still extremely cheap in many formats. Tonight he faces southpaw Gio Gonzalez as he looks to improve his great numbers against lefties. So far this season, he’s 24-70 (.343) with 10 extra base hits against lefties making him a good play today.
Second Basemen
Jason Kipnis (CLE): The Tribe are making their playoff push as they welcome their AL Central division rivals from KC. Kipnis is hitting .290 at home this year and has crushed the Royals, going 15-43 (.349) with a pair of homers, eight RBI, and nine walks against them this season. In his career against Ervin Santana, he’s 5-17 with a walk and one RBI.
Grant Green (LAA): Green has hit in four straight and has been a solid late-season call-up for the Halos, hitting .250 with five doubles, a homer, and 11 RBI. He’s in a nice matchup against the Twins Pedro Hernandez who comes in 3-1 with a 5.19 ERA.
Third Basemen
Todd Frazier (CIN): Frazier’s splits make him a great play at home, where he’s hitting .272 with 11 of his 15 homers this season. He’s hit safely in six in a row as he takes on Travis Wood, whom he is 6-14 with a pair of homers against in his career.
Jose Iglesias (DET): Iglesias has been dealing with shin splints, but he still has a seven-game hitting streak coming into tonight’s matchup with Chris Sale and the White Sox. He’s a nice value option despite a tough matchup.
Shortstops
Hanley Ramirez (LAD): HanRam has connected on four homers in his last ten games after connecting again last night. He’s taken some extra time off this month, but has also crushed the ball when in the lineup. He’ll face Randall Delgado tonight whom he is 2-6 against in his career.
Brad Miller (SEA): Miller is remarkably inexpensive in some leagues given, his production from the Mariners lineup. He’s hitting .260 after his 2-4 yesterday, giving him two multi-hit games in his last three. He’s hit much better at home (.282) than on the road (.231) and makes a nice value play as he takes on the Astros at Safeco tonight.
Outfielders
Mike Trout (LAA): If you’ve got the money, Trout delivers big-time fantasy points most nights and is in a great matchup tonight. He's currently on a ten-game hitting streak and 13-26 this month with eight walks, three steals, three doubles, a triple, and a pair of RBI. He’s not getting much help from the rest of the Angels, so teams are working around him. He’s still putting up points, though, so he’s worth the splurge if you have the salary room.
Adam Jones (BAL): Jones has gotten off to a decent September start, going 8-28 in the first week of games in the month. He hits well at home (.302) and has a solid track record against Yankees starter CC Sabathia. In his career, he has gone 16-53 (.302) with three homers and 11 RBI off the Yankee lefty.
Michael Cuddyer (COL): Cuddyer has continued his huge year, which many have overlooked since it’s happening in Colorado. He’s hitting .328 on the year with 18 homers and 76 RBI. He has picked it up this month hitting .440 with three doubles, a homer, and eight RBI. Tonight, he matches up against Tim Lincecum in San Francisco. In his career, Cuddyer has gone 6-14 with four doubles and a home run against Lincecum, so he’s a nice high-priced outfielder to grab.
Jay Bruce (CIN): Bruce hit a pair of long-balls last night, giving him three in the last four games. He has 29 homers on the year including two against the Cubs while hitting .268 against them. In his career, he’s 4-14 against Chicago’s starter Travis Wood with a pair of homers.
Christian Yelich (MIA): The Marlins offense has picked it up a bit lately, and Yelich is part of the reason why. He lost his eight-game hitting streak yesterday, but was 15-33 over that span with a pair of doubles, a homer, and three stolen bases. If you need value and want a hot bat, Yelich is an option to consider.
Trevor Crowe (HOU): Crowe returned to the Astros on September 1. Since then, he’s hit safely in seven of eight games going 11-31 with three doubles, a steal, and four RBI. He’s a solid value as he and Houston visit Seattle to take on Taijuan Walker.
Brian Bogusevic (CHC): One of the cheapest outfielders in some formats, Bogusevic has come back from a hamstring injury and has emerged as a nice value option. He’s 6-18 in his last eight games with a pair of homers, giving him four on the year. He is hitting .277 with a couple of steals, six doubles, and a triple to go with those four home runs. Tonight, he and the Cubs face Bronson Arroyo, which could well result in some runs at Great American Ballpark as the Cubs look to play spoiler.
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As always, remember to check your MLB daily lineups before they lock and make sure you are doing your own research, too, for optimal performance! The most successful daily leaguers are grinders who are constantly tweaking their lineups as the day goes on and fantasy news gets released. Good luck today, RotoBallers!
